Getting around the Mekong Delta
Plan · Legs and times
The Mekong Delta route planner
Road distances and usual journey times for the legs independent travellers use most — from Ho Chi Minh City to each delta town, between the towns, and across the water. Every time says what it is based on.
Contents
How to read the times
A journey time in the delta can mean three different things, and the tables mark which one each line uses.
- Listed — the time shown by the operator or on a ticket listing on the date we checked. These are timetable times and include the bus's own stops.
- Reported — a figure from an official body or a national newspaper, usually for a new road ("Can Tho to Ca Mau in about 90 minutes"). These are often driving times by car, not by bus.
- Est. — our own estimate where no timetable was available: the road distance divided by 50–60 km/h, with no stops. Buses on the same leg will take longer.
Distances come from OpenStreetMap routing between town centres and are rounded. Bus stations in several towns sit a few kilometres outside the centre — in Can Tho, buses from Ho Chi Minh City arrive at a terminal about 4 km out — so add the transfer when you plan a connection.
Sources: OpenStreetMap routing (OSRM demo server); Vietnam National Authority of Tourism — Can Tho · checked .
From Ho Chi Minh City
Almost all of these legs leave from Mien Tay bus station on Kinh Duong Vuong, with some operators also boarding at An Suong, the new Mien Dong station or city offices. See buses and vans for the stations.
| To | Road km | Usual time | Basis | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| My Tho | ≈ 71 | 1.5–2 h | Est. | Gateway to the former Tien Giang islets |
| Ben Tre | ≈ 85 | 1.75–2.25 h | Est. | Via the Rach Mieu bridges |
| Cai Be | ≈ 108 | 2–2.5 h | Est. | Now in Dong Thap province |
| Vinh Long | ≈ 136 | 2.5–3 h | Est. | Across from An Binh islet |
| Tra Vinh | ≈ 127 | 2.5–3 h | Est. | Routing varies by operator |
| Sa Dec | ≈ 130–147 | about 3 h | Reported, Jan 2026 | Flower villages on the Tien River |
| Cao Lanh | ≈ 145 | about 4 h | Reported, Jan 2026 | Buses at least hourly |
| Can Tho | ≈ 165–180 | 2 h 55 – 4 h 45 | Listed, 12 Oct 2026 | Departures round the clock |
| Long Xuyen | ≈ 183 | 3–3.75 h | Est. | On the road to Chau Doc |
| Soc Trang | ≈ 227 | 4–5 h | Est. | Now part of Can Tho city |
| Rach Gia | ≈ 233 | 5.5–6.5 h | Listed, 12 Oct 2026 | Some buses stop at the fast-boat pier |
| Chau Doc | ≈ 235–245 | 5–7.5 h | Reported / listed | Sources differ, see below |
| Bac Lieu | ≈ 270 | 4–5 h | Est. | Now part of Ca Mau province |
| Ca Mau | ≈ 300 | about 4.5 h | Reported, Jan 2026 | By expressway; was nearly 10 h |
| Ha Tien | ≈ 327 | 6–7 h | Est. | Most travellers break the trip |
For Chau Doc the sources do not agree. The national tourism authority gives about five hours by road; a ticket listing we checked on 12 October 2026 shows an average of seven and a half hours, and the same listing's own text says about six. Plan for most of a day and treat five hours as the best case.
Sources: redBus Vietnam — Saigon to Can Tho listings; redBus Vietnam — Saigon to Rach Gia listings; redBus Vietnam — Saigon to Chau Doc listings; Vietnam National Authority of Tourism — Chau Doc; VnExpress — Sa Dec travel guide, 17 Jan 2026; Vietnam Coracle — Tram Chim National Park, Jan 2026; Sai Gon Giai Phong — Mekong Delta expressway overview, 20 Jan 2026; OpenStreetMap routing (OSRM demo server) · checked .
Between delta towns
Legs between towns are shorter, and many are served by vans and regional buses rather than the big Ho Chi Minh City coaches. Fewer of them have published timetables, so more of these lines are estimates.
| Leg | Road km | Usual time | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| My Tho – Ben Tre | ≈ 19 | 20–25 min | Est. |
| My Tho – Cai Be | ≈ 45 | 45 min – 1 h | Est. |
| Cai Be – Vinh Long | ≈ 36 | 35–45 min | Est. |
| Ben Tre – Vinh Long | ≈ 59 | 1–1.25 h | Est. |
| Ben Tre – Tra Vinh | ≈ 48 | 50 min – 1 h | Est. |
| Vinh Long – Sa Dec | ≈ 26 | about 30 min | Est. |
| Vinh Long – Can Tho | ≈ 40 | 45–50 min | Est. |
| Sa Dec – Cao Lanh | ≈ 32 | 35–40 min | Est. |
| Can Tho – Sa Dec | ≈ 60 | just over 1 h | Reported, Jan 2026 |
| Can Tho – Long Xuyen | ≈ 62 | 1–1.25 h | Est. |
| Can Tho – Soc Trang | ≈ 61 | 1–1.25 h | Est. |
| Can Tho – Tra Vinh | ≈ 79 | 1.5–1.75 h | Est. |
| Can Tho – Chau Doc | ≈ 119 | about 4 h by bus | Listed, 12 Oct 2026 |
| Can Tho – Rach Gia | ≈ 110 | 2–2.25 h | Est. |
| Can Tho – Ca Mau | ≈ 134 | about 1.5 h by car | Reported, Jan 2026 |
| Chau Doc – Long Xuyen | ≈ 55 | 1–1.25 h | Est. |
| Chau Doc – Ha Tien | ≈ 93 | 1.5–2 h | Est. |
| Chau Doc – Rach Gia | ≈ 129 | 2.25–2.75 h | Est. |
| Long Xuyen – Rach Gia | ≈ 75 | 1.25–1.5 h | Est. |
| Rach Gia – Ha Tien | ≈ 90 | 1.5–1.75 h | Est. |
| Soc Trang – Bac Lieu | ≈ 50 | 50 min – 1 h | Est. |
| Bac Lieu – Ca Mau | ≈ 67 | 1.1–1.3 h | Est. |
Can Tho to Chau Doc is the clearest example of the gap between an estimate and a bus: about 119 km on National Highway 91, which a car covers in a little over two hours, but a listed coach time of about four hours because of stops along the highway.
Sources: OpenStreetMap routing (OSRM demo server); redBus Vietnam — Can Tho to Chau Doc listings; VnExpress — Sa Dec travel guide, 17 Jan 2026; Tuoi Tre — Can Tho–Ca Mau expressway fully open, 19 Jan 2026 · checked .
Water and air legs
| Leg | Mode | Time | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chau Doc → Phnom Penh | Speedboat, daily 07:00 | about 6.5 h | Operator, 12 Oct 2026 |
| Phnom Penh → Chau Doc | Speedboat, daily 12:30 | about 6 h | Operator, 12 Oct 2026 |
| Ha Tien → Phu Quoc | Fast boat | 1 h 10 – 1 h 30 | Reported, Jul 2025 |
| Rach Gia → Phu Quoc | Fast boat | 2 h 10 – 2 h 30 | Reported, Jul 2025 |
| Ha Tien or Rach Gia → Phu Quoc | Car ferry | about 3 h | Reported, Mar 2024 |
| Rach Gia → Hon Son / Nam Du | Fast boat | check with operator | Route listed, 12 Oct 2026 |
Timetables for the island boats change with the season and are published by each operator; the boats and ferries page links to them. For flights, see airports and flights.
Sources: Hang Chau Tourist — official site; VinWonders — ferries to Phu Quoc, 19 Jul 2025; Doanh nghiep Hoi nhap — sea routes to Phu Quoc, 22 Mar 2024; Phu Quoc Express — official site · checked .
What stretches a journey
- Leaving Ho Chi Minh City. The slowest part of many trips is the first hour, getting out to the western bus station and onto the expressway.
- Speed limits on the new roads. The expressways are not motorways in the European sense: the Trung Luong–My Thuan section has a 90 km/h limit, My Thuan–Can Tho and Can Tho–Ca Mau 80 km/h.
- Pick-ups and drop-offs. Vans that collect passengers from hotels or city offices add time at both ends; a 3-hour leg can take 4 door to door.
- High tides in the flood season. In October and November peak tides flood riverside streets in Can Tho and Vinh Long, and in 2025 residents were told to limit travel at 05:00–08:00 and 16:00–19:00 on high-tide days.
- Public holidays. Around the Lunar New Year demand peaks; book days ahead rather than on the morning.
Sources: Sai Gon Giai Phong — Mekong Delta expressway overview, 20 Jan 2026; Tuoi Tre — Can Tho–Ca Mau expressway fully open, 19 Jan 2026; Ministry of Agriculture and Environment — 2025 Mekong flood outlook, 3 Oct 2025 · checked .
When this planner will mislead you
The figures here are for planning, not for catching a specific bus. They will mislead you if you use them to make a tight connection — a boat, a flight or a border crossing — without a buffer; if you travel on a public holiday; or on legs where a road is about to change. The Chau Doc–Can Tho–Soc Trang expressway, for instance, will shorten several legs on the border arc when it opens, and Ca Mau's airport is due to reopen after an upgrade. When a figure matters, check the operator's own timetable on the day.
If a time or a station on this page is out of date, tell the editors through the form below and include the operator's page or ticket listing.
Common questions
Questions readers send
How long does it take from Ho Chi Minh City to Can Tho by bus?
Listings we checked on 12 October 2026 show between about 2 hours 55 minutes and 4 hours 45 minutes, depending on the operator and type of vehicle. Allow extra time to reach the departure station in Ho Chi Minh City.
Can I get from Can Tho to Chau Doc in a morning?
Usually. The road distance is about 119 km and coaches are listed at about four hours. An early departure gets you to Chau Doc by midday.
Why are some times marked as estimates?
Several short legs between towns have no published timetable we could check. For those we divide the road distance by 50–60 km/h. Real buses stop on the way and take longer.
Is it faster to go from Ho Chi Minh City to Phu Quoc through the delta?
No. Overland to Rach Gia or Ha Tien takes most of a day before the boat. Travellers go that way to see the delta on the way, not to save time.
Related
Read next
Plan · Routes
Independent routes
Sample routes of three, five and eight days with transport and overnight stops.
Ways to travel · Road
Buses and vans
Bus stations, sleeper coaches versus limousine vans, tickets and arrivals.
Plan · Roads
Expressways and bridges
Which expressways and bridges are open, which are not, and the effect on travel times.
Ways to travel · Water
Boats and ferries
Chau Doc–Phnom Penh speedboat, fast boats to the islands, local ferries and life jackets.
Hubs · Can Tho city
Can Tho
Bus stations, the airport, the Ninh Kieu wharf and how long it takes to go on.
Start planning
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